Chinese-American chef Anita Lo has cooked Pan-Asian at Mirezi, modern American at her critically acclaimed Annisa, and Chinese street food at the recently opened Rickshaw Dumpling Bar. Chalk up her versatility to a food-obsessed family and a mother who adapted authentic recipes to her American kitchen. She’s the source of Lo’s tea-smoked duck, which is dunked in boiling water, lacquered, air-dried, and slowly smoked in
a kettle grill to a delectable degree of confitlike crispness. Cold sesame noodles on the side are made with hoisin—that prototypical roast
duck condiment—and offer a sweet, nutty contrast to the smoked meat. And Lo’s almond float is a riff on the cooling gelatin desserts that proliferate in China, served here over a summery fruit salad.